The present invention relates to apparatuses for separating nested containers and more specifically relates to a device for automatically dispensing containers from a stack of nested plastic or metal nursery pots.
Such nursery pots are typically delivered from their manufacturer in stacks each of which contains multiple nested pots. For ease of handling, and to obtain the maximum amount of compactness during the transporting of these bulky articles, the pots are pressed tightly together so that substantial effort is required to separate pots from the stack prior to use. It is a most common practice to use a considerable amount of manual labor for separating such pots.
Although a variety of prior apparatuses have been devised for separating and dispensing nested containers, each of these prior devices has been exceedingly complex and costly so that their use for separating nursery pots would be impractical.
One such prior device which is specifically designed for separating nursery pots, is the pot dispenser shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,416 (Broersma et al, Dec. 10, 1968). This prior device is a complicated apparatus that includes numerous moving parts such as pinching and swinging arms and complex multi-surfaced cams.